Giants Q&A with Eli Manning

Eli Manning may still seem like a young up-and-comer, but he is entering his seventh NFL season and by the time it's over he'll be 30 years old. No longer a kid, he's one of the veteran players the Giants are looking to to turn things around after the disappointment of 2009.

He recently sat with Newsday to talk about the Giants' upcoming season, some changes in the NFL, a game he's looking forward and his favorite golfing partners.

This was your first offseason since the one after your rookie year without reaching the playoffs. Did that feel different?

Eli Manning: It's just long. We'd like to go through the playoffs, every season that's always a goal. The goal is to win a championship, to get in the playoffs and make something happen. Obviously it was just long. We're trying to come back and make improvements. We have to get better and get back to that and get back into the playoffs.

Was it hard to reconcile a successful season statistically for you with a disappointing 8-8 record in 2009?

Manning: I'm worried about the team. I like making the playoffs, I like winning games. That's what makes the season fun, not throwing for a certain amount of yards. That doesn't make things more fun. It's about getting wins and celebrating with your team and having those fun Mondays when you come in after a win and watching the film. That's what you look forward to.

You have almost the exact same offensive personnel as last year. Why will they be able to improve?

Manning: Guys are growing up. Last year we had a lot of young receivers and they're getting better, more experienced. Last year they did a lot of great things and made a lot of big plays, but we can get more consistent. We still have to make the big plays but in and out be more consistent. We have our running backs back healthy. A lot of it is the same guys that we've done some good stuff with, we just have to keep growing.

You got a chance to face them this summer, so how does this Perry Fewell defense differ from the systems the Giants have had in the past?

Manning: Obviously there are different schemes, but some stuff is similar. He's just got great energy and enthusiasm and he gets his guys fired up. I think it's always a good challenge for the offense and as a quarterback going against different schemes every year at training camp. You have new coaches so you're learning and you get to pick their mind and see what they're doing. You get some work against a different look than what you normally got the last few years.

You grew up in a football family. Did you ever think you'd have a regular job or career?

Manning: I never knew. I liked playing sports and I enjoyed it. I wasn't thinking that this could be a possible career. It's just the way it turned out. I went to college and I wanted to do well in school and prepare for the real world, but I also enjoyed college football and worked hard at it. Everything worked out and I got the opportunity to come and play in the NFL and I'm grateful for that every day.

There will obviously be a lot of focus in Week 2 when you play the Colts and Peyton. Is that something you are looking forward to?

Manning: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. You don't know how many more chances you're going to get to look across there when they're signing the national anthem and see your big brother. He's in his 13th year and this is the second time. If it happens in four more years, you don't know what the situation will be in four years. It is a special thing and it doesn't happen very often. You try to enjoy it but not make it bigger than anything it is. We're playing the Colts and once the game starts it's a game.

When we look at the running game we look at the running backs getting healthy and the offensive line playing together. What can a quarterback do to help get the running game back to where it was two years ago?

Manning: It's a combination of a lot of things. The quarterback is responsible for getting us in and out of running plays. If we have a bad running play (called), we either have to throw it or run a different play. And you can have success throwing the ball. If you can beat one-on-one coverage and get the ball down the field for big plays, it makes defenses go into more two-high safeties and that opens the running game up as well. The running game and the passing game both benefit each other. If one is doing well, it should make the other one easier.

Have you noticed any differences with the umpire behind you?

Manning: I haven't. It hasn't made a big difference to us. We haven't done a whole lot of no-huddle.

Some people have noticed a difference.

Manning: Yeah, I know the Colts and Peyton, they do a lot of no-huddle and it does (affect them). The ball is not set, the defense is trying to substitute, they're trying to snap it quick and it's making it tough to do. I see the potential for where there could be problems with it.

It looks like the league is moving towards an 18-game schedule. Any thoughts on what that will be like?

Manning: We'll see what happens. I don't think there's a whole lot I can do about that. They tell us to play 18, we'll play 18.

A SCOUT'S TAKE ON MANNING

An NFL scout gives his take on Giants quarterback Eli Manning
 
His greatest strengths

“Eli’s career track has been on an upward trend, which is what you want from a quarterback. Sometimes guys have peaks and valleys, but Eli is one of those guys who is very steady. He has always had the arm to make all the throws, and his decision making gets better each year. He made a nice adjustment last year without Plaxico Burress as his 'go-to' guy, and he makes the young receivers better. That's what you want to see in a quarterback — a guy who can adjust when the roster changes. His footwork has always been well above average, and he sees the field very well."
 
His greatest weaknesses

"There are times in games when he seems to get a little down, although that was more of a problem earlier in his career. But sometimes the offense will stagnate, and he needs to make a play to get things going again . . . He will occasionally force passes, although every quarterback does at some point. He manages to keep that to a minimum."
 
— BOB GLAUBER